Weather strip



Dec. 21, 1943. L, SPRARAGEN WEATHER STRIP Filed Jan. 22, 1940 SPOT WELD 9. NN Ky WKO INVENTOR Zou/.5' 50W/ragen @YM ATTORNEYS y PatentedDec. 2l,

UNITED STATESA PATENT OFFICE 2,331,303 4 V WEATHER STRIP Louis Spraragen, BridgeporhConn., assignor to Bridgeport Fabrics, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a. corporation of Connecticut Application January 22,1940, serial No. 315,059

' 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a flexible beading strip, and, more particularly, to an attaching strip therefor of braided resilient wire having means for preventing undue longitudinal stretch therein.

In strips such as are used as nishing molding or weather strips, it is desired to have an attach' ing strip of resilient wire which will have suflicient resiliency to return the weather strip to a normal position when it has been moved from said position during the sealing operation. Heretofore, it has been proposed to Weave a-fabric comprising fiber warps and resilient wire wefts for, this purpose, or use a braided construction oi' resilient wire having all of the strands thereof of wire. The attaching strip has secured along one edge thereof a sealing bead of rubber or fibrous material, as by having one edge of the attaching strip embedded therein. The bead and attaching strip are then covered with suitable covering material for use.

When the attaching strip is braided entirely of resilient wire threads, the strip will be elongated under slight pulls, for example, as would occur during associating and assembling the bead thereon. 'I'his elongation is caused by the fact that the resilient wires do not bend around one another readily to interlock as would soft wire, but, due to their resiliency, retain a fairly straight course so that they slide easily upon one another, whereby they are readily dsiplaced in an angular sense relative to each other, resulting in attenuation of the braided strip upon application of a stretching force to the strip.

This diiculty has been overcome by the present invention by anchoring the braided wires to one another at spaced points in the strip. This may be accomplished in many ways. For example, as the braided wire emerges from the braiding machine, it is usually desirable to run it through flattening rollers to form the at attaching strip. These rollers, which do not serve any pulling function, can be utilized to cause the 1 wires to be adheredtogether. When this is re sorted to, the wires may be treated with a. suitable ux and the rollers heated to cause the wires to be soldered together at the crossings, or

the rollers can be provided with welding wheels,

which will weld vthe wires together as they pass thereunder.

It desired, however, the braiding Amachine need not be altered to secure the wires together in this manner, for a stitching machine can be associated with the braiding machine at the delivery end thereof to provide rows of stitches, either of taching strip and thus prevent sliding movement.

thread or wire, which will -lock the wires of the attaching strip against relative movement.

A still further means for locking the wires against angular shifting movement can be the layer of material extending over a substantial portion of the strip and passing through each of the apertures. This maybe a strip of cloth orthe like on each side of the attaching strip and pressed through the openings in the braided strip and secured together, or it may be a layer of rubberwhich will iill the openings in the at- This latter means for holding the strands in the braided strip against movement has an additional feature in that it may permit the attaching strip to stretch slightly, but will always, due to its own resiliency, return the strip to its original position. With the strip thus secured against elongation, it can be readily associated with a bead as by having the bead blown thereon by a continuous process in a well known manner or by having a split bead positioned thereover.

After the bead and attaching strip have been secured together, they may be covered by the usual fabric covering which is stitched along the edge adjacent the joint between the bead and attaching strip, or they may be provided with a coating deposited from a solution of latex.

Other features and advantages of the invention will -be apparent from the specication and ',claims, when considered in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a braided attaching strip with the wires vthereof secured together at spaced points by welding.

Fig. 2 shows a view similar to Fig. 1, with the Wires secured together by solder.

Fig. 3 shows a view similar to Figs. l and 2 with the' wire secured together by stitching.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly in section,

showing the attaching strip .assembled with a bead and a covering around the assembled unit.A Fig. 5 shows the attaching strip with the wiresI4 anchored by a layer of material extending through the apertures.'

As shown in the drawing, the present invention relates to sealing strips and to the formationl 'of the attaching strip to be psed with wind laces or weather strips of resilient wire.

In weather strips of vthis type, a bead I0 of rubber or fibrous material is secured along the edge of the attaching strip Il with a portion of the attaching strip embedded therein as shown in Fig. 4. The weather strip is adapted to be secured about an opening with the bead pressed into sealing. relation Vwith the door or other clo sure.. In order that this might properly be arranged, the attaching strip is made very resilient so that it will holdthe bead in sealing relation and will also return it to its normal position when the closure is moved to break the seal.

Heretofore, the attaching strip has been made here to the wires and fill up the openings. The

layer of rubber may be pressed therein or .formed braided together, as is shown in'y the drawingfto x form a strip having .a plurality of openings I3 therealong andy a, pluralityy of loops- I4 along the edges. Y

The wire strands used in the attaching strip are preferably of tempered spring steel wire which is rather fine, but with sufficient temper and stiffness that it maintainslits original position and also the position of the bead and after being bent orforced to one side, will return to its original position.

When wire of this type is used, it will not bend when woven so as to interlock the strands with one another, as in the case of soft wire. Thus, when a braided attaching strip of resilient spring wire is handled during application of the vfinished strip or `fedy during theV process lof 'applying the bead therealong, it will stretch and elongate, due

to the angular displacement of thewires relative 4to'one another. I Thiscauses the attaching strip to be narrowed, and may cause the extent of the attaching strip into the bead to vary.

VAccording to the present invention, however, this danger is eliminated `by securing together strands-'so as to preventangular. shifting thereof j and consequent elongation.` This may be accomplished in many ways. For example, in

manufacturing the attaching strip ofthe present invention, as it emerges from the braiding ma- I chine, it is usually passedthrougha pair of rollers to insure that the stripV will be flattened as desired. These rollerscan be -utilized tdsecure' the strands together, as by providing the-strands with -a wash'of 'some' suitable. flux/andi. heating a pluralityof ,points,.' as isshown in Fig,f2. I

thereon as the attaching strip passes throughy machine.

within the scope of this invention and portions have also found'that the flattening rollers maybe vso constructedfas to provide rollers-capable 'of spot welding the strands together at'spaced pointsasjsnswn at ein Fig. 1. 1n both of these constructions, a veryrigid yetresilient attach-` ing strip is provided. f A

If itv is desired, however, not- .tomodify the` structure of the braiding machine, `a separate stitching machine can b e provided adjacent the delivery end thereof to provide oneor more rows of stitches therealong for holding the strands together. 'I he'se stitches vmay be of Wire or may be a lock stitch vor chainstitch ofthread, as shown at I'I in Fig, 3.`

A still 'further means 'for locking thev wires .against vangular shiftingjmovement may be the.-`

positioning on each 'side ofthe attaching strip, I f

for a` substantialfportion thereof, as shown in Figs 5, of a` fabric I8'or material-which would become adhered to the strands yto prevent'their .that stretch will occur in the attaching strip as l'fronr resilient Wire and providing loopson the inga plurality of means for reenforcing the said 'strip against relative angular movement of the .e1-strip; a bead secured along one edge of t e said being embedded Ain said bead and interlocking thereon by passing the strip through a latexbath of proper consistency as it passes from the rollers. f

As will be noted in Fig. 5,v when the fabric is used, it preferably extends to a point :spaced from the edge of the tape to leave loops ,Il along the edge' thereof. These loops, which will be present in all forms of the attaching strip, are utilized in anchoring the bead thereto.A The` bead is preferably of sponge rubber and is applied to the attaching strip in a continuous proc' ess, wherein the strip is fed along through a machine andthe bead of sponge rubber is blowny the machine and is cured prior to its leaving the As'shownin Fig. 4, the bead extends for a-sub stantial distance over the edge of the attaching strip and is interlocked with the attaching strip by being secured together through they loops therein. It is during'this assembling operation it is fed through the bead forming and attaching machine if the means of the present invention is not provided.

After the beads and attaching strips have been assembled, the whole may be covered with a fibrous fabric coverl I9 which extends around the bead and over the attaching strip, as shown in Fig. 4, and is stitched thereto by a row of stitches 20, vor the bead and attaching strip may be provided With a coating formed by the deposit thereon of rubber from a latex solution.

In the broader aspects of the invention, the attaching strip may be used without a bead for Various purposes. Y In each instance, however, it is essential, to a proper operation of the braided strip, that the strands thereof be secured to- Variations and modifications may be -made of the improvements may be used without'others. .I claim: l l I z 1. A weather stripping ofthe characterfdescribed, comprising a at'stiffening strip braided margin thereof, said flat stiifeningstrip includwire strands thereof tending to attenuate the stiffening strip, the marginal loops of sa d strip therewith to'hold the bead thereto; and a cover of fibrous material enclosing the bead and braid# ed sti'ifening strip and secured thereto by stitching extending along the braided stiiening strip.

2; A -Weather f stripping of the character described, comprising a. iiat` stiffening strip braided from resilientv wire .and providing loops on the margin thereof,'said flat stiffening strip including a plurality of means for reenforcing the said strip against relative rangular movement of the wires'trands thereof tending to attenuate` the strip; a bead secured along one, edge of the said stiifening strip, the 'marginalloops of said strip being embedded -in said beadand interlocking vtherewith to hold the bead thereto; anda cover lenclosingthegbead and braided stiifening ystrip andsecured thereto by securing means extend-V ing along the vbraidedstifening strip.

Louis .sPRARAGEm l 

